Freight-car door.



Patented out. 17 |399. P. s. MINIER. FREIGHT GAR noon.

(Application med Dc. 9, 189s.)

(No Model.;

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No. 535,074. Patented ont. I7, IsIsI.v

P. e. MIIIIEII.

FREIGHT CAR noun.

(Application led Dec. 9, 1.898.) (No Model.)

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llwrrnn Sra'rns e'rnrrr @rinca- PETER G. MINIER, OF HUNTINGTON, l/VESTVIRGINIA.

FREIGHT-CAR DOOR.

s rEcIFIcATIoN forming part of Letters Patent no. 635,074, 'datedoctober 17, 1899. Application filed December 9, 1898. Serial No.698,768.(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER G. MINIER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Huntington, in the county of Cabell and State of WestVirginia, have invented a new and useful Freight-Car Door, of which thefollowing is a specication.

The invention relates to improvements in freight-car doors.`

The objects of the present invention are to improve the means for-hanging freight-car doors for enabling the same when closed to be fiushwith the side of the car and to permit them in opening to swing outwardfrom the car to clear the side thereof, to increase their strength,durability, and efficiency, and to enable a door to move freely inopening and closing.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and

. pointed out-in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a carconstructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a ver ticalsectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are horizontalsectional views on the lines 8 3 and 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is anenlarged detail sectional view illustrating the manner of journaling theupper end of the rock-shaft on the adjacent hanger of the door. Fig. 6is ahorizoutal sectional viewof the rear hanger. Figs. 7 and 8 aredetail Views of the 'front and back plates of the rear hanger. Figs. 9and 10 are detail views of the front hanger. Fig. 11 is a detail view ofthe bottom guide. Fig. 12 is a detail view of the lower portion of therock-shaft. Fig. 13 is a detail sectional view illustrating theconstruction of the gravity-latch. A

Like numerals of reference designate correspending parts in all thefigures ofthe drawings.

1 designates a sliding car-door suspended by front and rear hangers 2and 3 from an upper track 4 andhaving its bottom connected by a guide 5with a lower track 6, and the said door when closed is adapted, asillustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings, to fit withinthe door-opening of the car 7 and have its outer face flush with theouter face of the side of the same. The upper and lower tracks 4 and 6have their front portions 48 and 9 extended inward toward the car-bodyat an angle to guide the front end of the door .into the door-opening,and the upper track 4 is preferably secured to the outer edge of ahorizontal bar or cleat 10 and connected with the car by horizontalbolts passing through it and the said bar or cleat. The lower track 6 issupported by brackets l1, arranged at intervals and secured to the carby horizontal bolts passing through them and the track 6.

The front hanger 2, which is secured to the top of the sliding car-doornear the front end thereof, has its lower portion 12 inwardly offset,and it is provided at its upper portion with a casing 13,` forming acurved cap, and provided at its front and back with perforations for thereception of a bolt 14 upon which a roller or wheel 15 is journaled. The

roller or wheel 15,` which runs on the upper track 4, is provided at itsfront and rear faces with hubs, and the front and back of the casing 13are provided with vertical grooves 1G and 17, receiving the said hubsand permitting the roller or wheel to be readily introduced into andremoved from the casing. The vertical groove 16 of the front side of thecasing extends down to the bend of thel offset portion 12, and the rearside of the casing 13 terminates short of the same to provide anentrance for the roller or wheel 15. The back of the casing 13 isprovided with a pair of depending projections or lugs 1S, and the track4 is arranged between the same and the front of the casing. The spacebetween the depending projections or lugs 18 and the bend of4 theinwardly-offset portion 12 permits the hanger 2 to be readily arrangedon and removed from the track 4. The hanger is preferably supported atthe bend of the inwardly-offset portion 12 by a rib, and the slidingcar-door, which is suspended from the track 4 by thebracket 2, is offsetinwardly sufficiently to extend within the opening of the side of thecar when the bracket 2 is arranged at the front end of the track, asshown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The space between the lugs orprojections 1S and the front side of the casing is slightly greater thanthe thickness of the track to permit the hanger IOO to move freely onthe angularly-disposed portion of the same. v

The rear hanger 3 is composed of front'and back plates 19 and 20,connected by suitable fastening devices, as clearly illustrated in Fig.6 of the accompanying drawings, and provided with registering'perforations for the reception of horizontal bolts 2l, upon which a pairof wheels or rollers 22 is mounted, and the said plates 19 and 2O areprovided at their inner faces with annular recesses receiving the hubsof the rollers or wheels 22 and formed by offsetting the adjacentportions of the casing. The back plate, which is provided with dependingprojections or lugs 23, terminates short of the lower edge ofthe frontplate and fits against a stud 24 and enlargements 25 and 26 located,respectively, at the top and ends of the front plate. The enlargement 25is arranged at the center of the top,

which is provided with a fiange 27, and the stud 24 is located near thecenter of the casing at a point between the lower portions of therollers or wheels 22. The flange 27, which also lits against the rearplate, forms the top of the casing and extends from the central to theend enlargements. The rollers or wheels 22 are arranged on the track 4,which is located between the lower portion of the front plate and thedepending projections or lugs 23 of the back plate. The front plate isprovided with an integral centrally-arran ged Vertical sleeve forming abearing for the upper end of a rock-shaft 29, and this sleeve 28, whichis located between the bearings of the rollers or wheels, as clearlyshown in Fig. 7 of the drawings, is preferably provided at its frontwith a longitudinal opening 30. The vertical rock-shaft, which passesthrough bearings 3l and 32 of the sliding door, is provided at its upperend with an L-shaped crank-bend 33,. which has its vertical arm orportion arranged in the bearing-sleeve 28 of the rear hanger andthreaded at its upper end to receive a nut 34. Thelower end of therockshaft is angularly bent to form a horizontal L-shaped portion 35 anda vertical depending portion 36, extending downward from the outer endof the horizontal L-shaped portion 35 and adapted to engage the lowertrack, as hereinafter described.

The bearings 3l and 32, which are located at the top and bottom and atan intermediate point of the sliding door, consist of clips and metalwear-plates bolted to the door, as shown, the metal wear-plates 37 beinginterposed between the rock-shaft and the door to avoid wearing thelatter. The rock-shaft is provided at a point directly beneath theintermediate bearing 32 with a collar 38, upon which the door rests whenthe nut 34 is tightened.

The collar 28 is provided with a flange, to which a hasp 39 is pivoted,and the hasp 39, which is adapted to engage a staple 40 in the usualmanner, serves as a handle by means of which the rock shaft may berotated. When the rock-shaft is rotated, the body portion, which isconnected with the door, swings on the pivot portion, which is arrangedwithin the bearing-sleeve of the rear hanger, and the door l is carriedinward or outward, according to the direction of the movement of therock-shaft. When the door is closed, the depending portion 36 of thelower end of the rock-shaft bears against the lower track 6 and holdsthe door firmly in the opening of the side of the car, and the uppercrank-bend 33 operates similarly at the top of the door. When the haspis swung outward, the rear end of the door is carried out of thedooropening of the car sufliciently to clear the side of the same andthe lower depending portion 36 is carried inward to a point beneath thelower edge of the door. The hasp after being used as a lever or handlefor rotating the rock-shaft may be swung downward against the same toarrange it coinpactly. As the hasp is pivoted, as shown, it is retainedin its folded position by gravity, so that there is no liability of itsswinging upward accidentally and offering an obstruction. When the rearend of the door is swung out of the door-opening, the door may slidefreely on the track, and as it is opened the angularly-disposed portions3 and 9 guide the front of the door outward, so that when the door isopen it will be arranged in a plane parallel to the side of the car.

The guide 5, which engages the lower track 6, is secured to the bottomof the door, vnear the front end thereof, and it is provided with alower engaging portion having a recess 4l to receive the track 6.The-recess 4l is formed by a substantially L-shaped arm 42 extendingoutward from the lower portion of the guide, as clearly illustrated inFig. 1l of the drawings. The width of the recess 41 is slightly greaterthan the thickness of the lower track, so that it will slide freely overthe angularly-disposed portion 9 thereof. In order to prevent thecar-door from sliding back and forth on the upper and lower tracks whilea car is being shifted, the guide 5 is provided with a gravity-latch 43,consisting of a vertically-movable bolt mounted in a housing 44, formedintegral with the guide 5. The upper end of the gravity-latch 43 isreduced and curved to form ahandle and to provide a shoulder 45, adaptedto be engaged by a transverse fastening device 46 to limit the upwardmovement of the latch and prevent the same from being withdrawn from thehousing. The lower end of the gravity-latch engages a recess 47 of thelower track 6 when the door is open and locks the door against movement.When it is desired to close the door, it is necessary to lift thegravity-latch out of engagement with the recess 47.

The invention has the following advantages: The means employed formounting the cardoor on the car suspend the former from the latter, andthe rolls or wheels enable the door to slide freely without friction.The lower guide prevents the bottom of the door from IOO IIO

swinging outward and does not retard the sliding movement of the door,as there is no pressure upon the lower track. The rockshaft, whichextends from the'top to the bottom of the door, projects beyond both theu pper and lower edges of the same and is adapted to swing the rearportion ofv the door inward and outward. The lower angular bend of therock-shaft engages theinner face ofthe lower track to force the bottomportion of the door inward, and it holds the door when closed firmly toits place. outward to open it, the engaging lower end is carried beneaththe lower edge of the door, and it does not retard the sliding movement,and after the door is opened it is locked in such position and isprevented from sliding back and forth when the car is being shifted.

Changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of this invention, such as constructing the crank-bendsof the rock-shaft of separate pieces and reversing the parts to enablethe dog to slide either to the right or left.

What is claimed is- 1. In a device of the class described, thecombination with a car having an upper track and a lower track, of asliding car-door, a rock-shaft journaled on the door and having itslower end free and provided with a horizontal L.shaped portion andhaving a depending vertical portion extending from the outer end of theL-shaped portion and arranged to engage the lower track and adapted toswing beneath the door, and a hanger arranged on the upper track andhaving a bearing receiving the upper end` of the rock-shaft,substantially as described.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a carhavinga lower track, and a sliding door suspended from the upper Thenthe door is swung a sliding car-door, and a rock-shaft journaled on thedoor, of a hanger comprising front and rear plates or portions forming ahook to engage the said track, the front portion being provided on itsexterior with a bearing to receive the upper end of the rock-shaft, anda roller journaled between the plates or portions and arranged to run onthe track, substantially as described.

4. In a device ofthe class described, the combination with a car havinga track, and a door, of a hanger composed of two detachable plateshaving horizontal bearings at their inner faces and forming a hook toengage the track, the front plate of the hanger being provided on itsexterior with a vertical bearing, an antifriction-roller interposedbetween the plates and journaled in the horizontal bearings, and arock-shaft journaled in the vertical bearing of the hanger and suspend-Ying the' door therefrom, substantially as .de scribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as l my own I have heretoaffixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses. i

PETER G. MINIER.

Witnesses:

P. A. RUTLEDGE, O. L. IIAGG.

